Means for shaping and tempering leaf springs



PRINGS.

A. v. DOUGLAS.

MEANS FOR SHAPING AND'TEMPERING.LEAF 8 APPLICATION FILED MAY 9. I92].

Patented Oct. 24, 1922.

4 7T OR/VE 78 Patented Get. 24, 1922.

I .UNETEfi d'iidilidd earner ALBERT DOUGLAS, OF PUEBLO, COLORADO.

Application filed. May 9, 1921. Serial No. 268,189.

To all to hom it may concern Be it known that I, ALBERT V. DOUGLAS, a citizen of the United States, and a residentof Pueblo, in the county of Pueblo and State of Colorado, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Means for Shaping and T empering Leaf Springs, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to improvements in means for and methods of shaping and tempering leaf springs, and it consists in the combinations, constructions and arrangements herein described and claimed:

- An object of my inventionis to provide a simple, inexpensive, and effective means for shaping leaves of leaf springs as desired and for maintaining the leaves in adjusted relative positions while immersed in a tempering fluid.

-A further object of my invention is to provide a device of the character described in which a spring leaf may be shaped as desired and submerged in a tempering fluid while being maintained in shaped form.

A further object of my invention is to provide a device of the character described that is adapted for use in shapingand tempering spring leaves of various sizes.

-A further object of my invention is to provide a method of forming leaf springs in which each leaf spring is subjected to a shaping strain and simultaneously immersed in a tempering fluid.

A further object of my invention is to provide a method of forming leaf springs in which a main spring leaf is first shaped and tempered and the superposed leaves are then successively shaped with respect to the contiguous leaf and subsequently tempered.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification, and the novel features of the invention will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

My invention is illustrated in the accom panying drawings, forming part of this application, in which- Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the device,

Fig. 2 is an end view of the same,

- Fig. 8 is a section along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1,

Figures 4 and 5 are details of fragmentary portions of the device.

r In carrying out my invention, 1 provide a tank 1 open at its upper end and adapted to hold a tempering fluid. The walls of the tank are reenforced at the corners by vertical members 2 and certain of these members are provided with extensions 3 converging attheir upper ends as shown or the extensions 3 may be separate members secured to the tank 1 in any suitable and well known manner. The extensions 3 are secured at their upper ends to a vertical support 1 that preferably has the form of .an I-beam secured to the rear wall of the tank. The support 4t is bent forwardly adjacent to its upper end and a vertical guide member 5 is secured thereto at its upper end by bolts 6 like fastening means. The guide member 5 is stayed at its lower end by a bar 7 secured thereto and to the l-beam i. A work supporting frame 8 is horizontally disposed and is guided by relatively arranged vertical guiding and retaining members 9 secured to the inner walls of the tank 1 as shown. In the form of the device now preferred by me, the work engaging frame is rectangular in form and has the section of an angle iron arranged with one leg thereof horizontally disposed to provide a flat upper surface. The work engaging frame is connected by tie rods 10 with an upper horizontally disposed rectangular frame 11 which carries a guide frame consisting of spaced apart pairs of vertical bars 121 and 13-13 and upper and lower pairs of horizontally disposed bars 1 1-1 1 and 1515, respectively, secured at their ends to the vertical bars 12-12 and 1313, the horizontal bars of each pair being spaced apart intermediately to provide vertically alined guideways for the guide member 5. The upper rectangular frame 11 is stayed by tie rods 16 connecting the latter with the vertical bars 12-12 and 1813 adjacent to the upper ends of the latter.

' A link 17 is pivoted at its lower end to one of the horizontal guide frame members 15 and at its upper end to lever 18 that is fulcrumed at 19 on the web of the support 4:, the adjacent flange of the latter being cut away at 20 to permit movement of the lever. A spring 21 secured at its upper end to the support 4 and at its lower end to the lever 18 adjacent to or at the point of connection of the latter with the link 17 tends to main tain the lever18 in the position shown best in Fig. 2, whereby the work engaging frame is normally maintained above the level of a tempering fluid in the tank 1.

superposed on the work supporting frame 8 is a transverse work engaging member 22 disposed substantially midway between the ends of the work supporting frame and rigidly secured to the side members thereof. A pair of spaced apart upstanding brackets or lugs 2 l-2l are secured to one of the side members of the work supporting frame at opposite sides of the work engaging member 22 by means of screws 23 or the like, and a screw 25 threaded through a carrying plate 26 is adjustably maintained parallel with the work engaging member 22 and in a higher plane as will now be described. The carrying plate 26 has openings therethrough registering respectively with vertically extending slots 2828 through the lugs 2z r- 2land the screw 25 is maintained in adjusted position relative to the member 22 by means of clamping members 29-29, such as bolts projected through the openings in the plate 26 and the slots 28-28. The screw 25 is formed with a crank 30 integral therewith to permit convenient operation of the former.

A pair of identical end transverse work engaging members 3131 are provided, each consisting of a substantially U-shaped bar having a relatively long horizontally disposed lower arm 32 provided with pins 3333 at each end thereof, and a horizontally disposed upper arm 34 that terminates short of the end of the lower arm 32. The pins 3383 are adapted to enter spaced apart openings 35-35 through the side members of the work supporting frame 8, whereby the end work engaging members may be positioned at various distances from the middle stationary work engaging member. The arms'32 and 34, respectively, of each end member 31 are formed with alined openings 36 and 3? therethrough and a retaining pin 38 may be projected through selected alined openings for a purpose which will be hereinafter set forth.

A plurality of intermediate work engaging members or rests 39 are identical with each other in essential respects and are each formed with pins 40-d0 at the ends thereof in position to enter selected openings 3535, whereby the intermediate work engaging members may be positioned as desired with respect to the movable end members 31-31 and the fixed intermediate member 22.

From the foregoing description of the various parts of the device, the operation thereof may be readily understood. The device is designed primarily for use in shaping and tempering the leaves of leaf springs such as are usually installed in automobiles and other vehicles. A main spring leaf 41 is placed upon the work engaging members with the ends thereof disposed between the arms of the end members 3131 and engaging the retaining pins 38-38. The crank 30 is manipulated to operate the tension-ad- 'a heated condition at this time.

justing screw 25 so that the leaf 41 will be bowed intermediately to shape the same as desired.

It will be understood that the leaf 41 is in The lever 18 is then moved downwardly against the tension of the spring 21, thereby moving the work supporting frame downwardly in the tank 1 until the leaf 11 is submerged in a tempering fluid 42, such as oil. WVhen the leaf has been. tempered, the lever 18 is released and the work supporting frame is moved upwardly by the action of the spring 21. The main leaf is maintained in the position sh wn after the tempering thereof and the leaves to be superposed thereon which prior to tempering are normally straight are successively heated and clamped tightly to thecold proximate leaf by clip tongs 4.3 and immersed in the tempering fluid by operation of the lever 18 in the manner hereinbefore described. Obviously, a suitably tempered and shaped main leaf may be ad justed on the work supporting frame and auxiliary leaves then shaped and tempered for connection therewith, as when it is de sired to repair leaf springs in which the main leaf is intact. The device is adapted for use in shaping and tempering leaves of various sizes and provides a relatively simple and effective means for performing the functions for which designed.

I claim: V

1. The combination with a vessel par tially filled with a tempering fluid of a work supporting frame provided with ad justable means for engaging spring bars of various sizes'to shape the latter as desired and for maintaining them in shaped form, a support carried by the vessel and extending above the vessel, a vertical guide bar depending from the support, a guide frame slidable vertically on the guide bar,,a lever fulcrumed on the support and having a connection with the guide frame, means connecting the guide frame and the work supporting frame, and spring means connecting the lever and the support, whereby the work supporting frame is normally sup ported above the level of the tempering fluid in the vessel and is movable vertically into the vessel against the tension of the spring means.

2. In a device of the character described, a substantially rectangular work supporting frame, transverse work engaging memhers detachably connected to the frame at spaced distances from the ends thereof, each of said members comprising a U-shaped bar having the arms thereof horizontally disposed and provided with vertically alined openings and with a retaining pin projected through the alined openings, and an intermediate transverse work engaging member fixedly connected to the frame and provided with a screw arranged to contact a bar disposed upon said work supporting frame, whereby a stress may be imposed upon said bar to occasion the bending of the latter intermediately and the clamping of the bar between the end of the screw and the retaining pins of the end work engaging members. I

3. In a device of the character described, a substantially rectangular work support ing frame, transverse work engaging members detachably connected to the frame at spaced distances from the ends thereof each of said members comprising a U-shaped bar having the arms thereof horizontally disposed and provided with vertically alined openings and with a retaining pin projected through the alined openings, an intermediate transverse work engaging member fixedly connected to the frame and provided with a screw arranged to contact a bar disposed upon said work supporting frame, whereby a stress may be imposed upon said bar to occasion the bending of the latter intermediately and the clamping of the bar between the end of the screw and the retaining pins of the end work engaging members, and manually operated means for lowering and raising said work supporting frame at will.

a. In a device of the character described, a work supporting frame, transverse work engaging members detachably connected to the frame at spaced distances from the ends thereof, said members arranged to engage opposite ends of a bar placed upon said work supporting frame, an intermediate transverse work engaging member fixedly connected to said frame and provided with a screw arranged to contact said bar, whereby a stress may be imposed upon said bar to occasion the bending of the latter intermediately and the clamping of said bar between the end of said screw and the points of engagement of said transverse engaging members and said bar, and means permitting said work frame to be lowered into a tempering liquid and raised therefrom at will.

ALBERT V. DOUGLAS. 

